Shooting Star
by PortgasDJen
Summary: The story of a young slave girl with devil fruit powers whose fate combines with that of Luffy and his crew's, causing an unexpected event which will change all their lives forever. Contains Spoilers!
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! This is the prologue to a new story of mine called Shooting Star! It's a One Piece Fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy! ^^**

**Quick warning for you guys. This story will contain slight OOC moments, mainly for Luffy, so keep that in mind while your reading. I will do my best to portray the characters as well as I can, while still keeping to the theme of this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own One Piece or its characters. I highly respect Oda-sensei, so I will never claim that I do own them. The only things I will claim ownership of though, are my OCs and the storyline/writing in this fanfic.**

**This story contains extreme spoilers to the original story line.**

**It takes place after the Dressrosa arc in the manga/anime, so if you aren't caught up, I wouldn't suggest reading this. It will become a bit AU though, since I can't predict the direction the actual story will go in, but I hope you will still enjoy it despite the differences. **

**Enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**7 Years Ago...**_

"Nii-chan! Guess what today is!" I exclaimed jumping up and down in excitement as I looked up at my older brother, Jay. It was just me and him, living on our own ever since our parents died when we were young. Jay had been twelve at the time, while I was still only five. He gave up everything to raise and take care of me, taking up multiple jobs and tasks around our small village in order to make sure I had everything I needed.

"Hmm I don't know Asalie... I seem to have forgotten. What's today?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Nii-chan! You're such a meanie! I'm turning ten today!" I exclaimed with a pout, crossing my arms across my chest as I stared up at Jay with an upset glare.

"Haha don't worry Asalie, I'm only kidding. Of course I know it's your birthday! I even got you a present!" He announced with a chuckle, as he handed me a small box. Grinning, I took the box and carefully opened it, revealing a small, heart shaped silver locket attached to a thin chain. I picked the locket out of the box and opened it to find a picture of Jay and me that had been taken recently.

"Wow..." I breathed, smiling at the contents of the box. "It's so pretty... Thank you so much Nii-chan!" I exclaimed, bouncing up and down as he placed the locket around my neck.

"Your welcome. You have to promise me you'll take good care of that, ok?" He told me, as I grinned, nodding up at him in response. "Now, today is all about you. Just say the word, and we'll do whatever you want."

"Let's see..." I placed my pointer finger to my chin in thought, letting all the possibilities run through my innocent mind. "Piggy back ride?" I suggested with a glint in my eye, causing Jay to chuckle before hoisting me up onto his back, pulling my legs around his waist as I wrapped my arms around his neck in anticipation.

"Where to M'lady?" He asked with a wide grin.

"To Anna's!" I declared, raising one of my hands in the air to point towards Anna's Bar and Grill, one of the few restaurants in our small village. Nodding his head in acceptance, Jay quickly set off towards the restaurant, running forwards with a slight gallop in his step as I cheered and howled with laughter.

When we arrived he let me off his back and we walked hand in hand into the building. We walked right up to the bar and greeted Tony, the owner of the restaurant.

"Hello you two, how are you guys doing on this fine day?" He asked us with a grin as he wiped down the counter top.

"It's my birthday today, Tony!" I cheered happily as I jumped up onto a bar stool next to Jay.

"Oh my, well happy birthday to you Asalie! Meals on me today, what would you two like?"

"Yay! I'd like a cheeseburger and extra fries please! Ooh and an ice cream!" I exclaimed, earning a laugh from Tony and my brother.

"Coming right up. And for you Jay?"

"I'll just have a burger, thanks Tony. I'll find a way to pay you back soon." My brother said with a slightly guilty tone.

"Nah, don't worry about it! It's the least I can do, what with you helping out around the village so much."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it." He grinned, opening his mouth to add something, when the sound of his mini Den Den Mushi sounded from his pocket. "Ah, sorry, mind watching Asalie for a second while I take this?"

"Sure man. No problem at all." Tony grinned back at him, as I glanced up from the cup of juice that had been placed in front of me.

"Aw, don't be long Nii-chan! We need to keep celebrating!" I exclaimed with a pout. He was always getting calls on that thing. With so many jobs around the village, there was always someone looking for his help. I wasn't too worried about it today though, as he'd promised he would take the whole day off for me, and that he'd tell anyone who wanted his help that it would have to wait.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash." He responded with a smile before slipping outside.

Sighing I turned my attention back to my drink, absentmindedly fingering my locket, as I waited for my brother to return. After a few minutes a jingle sounded, notifying anyone in the restaurant that a guest had arrived. Glancing back, thinking that it was Jay, I instead saw a large men enter the room with a wooden crate and a newspaper tucked under his arm. He had messy brown hair, a large scar running across the bridge of his nose that extended across the length of his face, and multiple tattoos covering his arms. Instantly I found myself curious as to who he was. I could tell that he wasn't from around here. With a village this small, in a less frequented corner of East Blue, there weren't any strangers around. And it wasn't often we got visitors.

The man walked up to the bar and plopped angrily onto a seat a few spots down from me, placing the box carefully onto the table. He ordered a drink and opened up the newspaper, spreading it out in front of him as he proceeded to read. After a few minutes though he seemed to notice my stare, and he turned towards me with a glare.

"What?" He asked vehemently, narrowing his eyes as he stared me down.

"Who're you? What's in the box?" I asked, unperturbed by the man's emotions.

"None of your business, now buzz off brat." He exclaimed just as Jay stepped back up to the bar.

"I'm sorry mister, I hope my sister isn't bothering you." He said with a slight bow, only getting a grunt as a response, before turning to me. "Asalie, leave the man alone. Let's finish our meals and get headed out so we can celebrate some more."

"Ok Nii-chan!" I agreed instantly, just as our meals were placed in front of us.

* * *

After we finished eating I declared that I wanted another piggy back ride, this time down to the docks. Jay instantly obliged, picking me up and once again galloping off as we laughed and cheered. Once we arrived, he set me down and we walked out to the end of an empty dock, sitting down and dangling our feet in the water as we stared out at the ocean.

"Nii-chan?"

"Hm?"

"What's out there, past the ocean?" I asked, looking up at him curiously.

"I'm not completely sure... Other islands and people I'm sure. Why do you ask?" He responded thoughtfully.

"Idk, just curious I guess... Hey, Nii-chan? Someday can we go out on the ocean and explore the other islands out there?"

"Hmm that might be fun... Sure, if you truly want to, I'll try to save up so we can do that." He responded with a chuckle before gazing back out at the sea.

"Yay!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air as I cheered excitedly. My excitement was cut short though, when suddenly the distinct ring of Jay's mini Den Den Mushi once again sounded from his pocket.

"Ah sorry Asalie, can you wait here while I take this?" He asked, glancing down at the snail with shaded eyes. I pouted slightly, but agreed, and he quickly disappeared back behind one of the fishing boats.

After a few moments of waiting on the dock, I found myself getting bored and decided to look around a bit before Jay got back. Hopping up, I wandered down the shore a little ways, taking in my surroundings, when I noticed the man from earlier down by one of the boats. A voice called out to him and he set down the box he had with him for a moment while he ran onto the ship to see what the person wanted.

Curious, I decided that it wouldn't hurt if, while nobody was looking, I took a peek inside the crate. Glancing around, I quickly ran forward and sat down next to the box. After a moment's hesitation, I leaned forward and carefully opened the crate in front of me and looked inside, where I saw a large fruit resting at the bottom. This fruit wasn't like any normal fruit though. It was a midnight blue in color, with tiny stars swirling around it. Surprised, I wondered why someone would be so secretive with fruit. _Is it so good that the man just doesn't want to share it with anyone?_

My curiosity was fully peaked at that moment, causing me to wonder what it would taste like. _Nobody will notice if one little piece goes missing, will they?_ I thought to myself, once again glancing around, before breaking a small piece off of the bottom of it, and popping it into my mouth. After I swallowed the piece, I instantly gaged, sticking my tongue out in disgust and scooting back a bit. _Why the heck would someone want this? It's disgusting!_ I complained silently, closing the lid to the crate as I decided to return to my brother.

Just as I stood up though, the owner of the box stepped off of his ship, instantly noticing me. His face scrunched up in anger and he raised his fist as he yelled down at me, "Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing!?" Shocked I spun around, preparing to run, when I found myself suddenly pressed up against something large. Slowly looking upwards, I saw another man standing there, with a dark scowl covering his face, and tattoos also covering his arms. I quickly scooted back a few steps to get away, but was instantly boxed in by the first man who'd run over from the ship.

"I... I... I'm sorry..." I squeaked, a sudden sense of fear building up in me. Something about these two men screamed danger, and I wanted nothing more than to be back with my brother.

"_Sorry?!_ Hah! Hear that Arsen? She says she's _sorry!_" The first guy said with an angry chuckle.

"I don't think we should forgive her, do you Gael?" The second one, Arsen, responded, still scowling. "She needs to pay us back; don't you think?"

"B-but... I don't have any money..." I stammered nervously, glancing around frantically for my brother.

"Ah hah, but we don't want your money, little girl." Gael responded, grabbing a hold of my arm as he continued. "You're going to have to come with us. See, you've cost us quite a bit by eating that fruit. We plan to get our payment no matter what."

"Nii-chan!" I yelled out at the top of my lungs as I struggled to pull my arm away. This just seemed to make the two men even angrier though as they yanked me forward, dragging me towards their ship, while I continued to scream and cry out for my brother.

"Asalie! Hey! Let go of her!" I could see my brother running towards us, shouting for my captors to let me go, as they proceeded to pull me up onto the deck of their ship.

"Chain her up in one of the cells and tell Bane to get ready to leave. I'll deal with the brother." Gael told Arsen as he handed me roughly off to him. I saw him jump off the boat and head towards my brother just as I was thrown into a small cell below deck.

* * *

An hour later, the door to my cell was opened roughly, causing me to look up from where I was chained to the floor, in the hopes that it would be my brother here to rescue me. Unfortunately, those hopes were quickly dashed as I saw Gael walk in instead. Closing the door behind him he stood directly in front of me, hands on his hips, as he glared down at me.

"W-where's my brother?" I asked, frightened.

"Hm? Oh, that boy who tried to save you? You don't have to worry about him. He's been dealt with." He responded with a harsh chuckle as I stared up at him with wide eyes.

"What did you do to my brother?! I want my brother!" I yelled up at him angrily.

"What, you don't understand?" He questioned, annoyed. "I killed the brat." My eyes widened as I let out a small gasp.

"N-no... Your lying... My brother isn't dead!" I stammered, shaking my head in denial.

"What, don't believe me? He was weak, the brat, didn't put up much of a fight at all. Pretty boring if you ask me. Well, no matter. You just better do as I say, or I'll have to kill you as well." He stated, a harsh smirk slowly lighting up his features as tears began spilling from my eyes. "Now, that fruit you ate was called a Devil Fruit. It gives the person who eats it special powers in exchange for them losing their ability to swim. We were planning on selling it on the black market, but since you _stupidly_ decided to eat it, we'll just have to sell you instead. I'm sure someone will make good use of you as a slave." He laughed before continuing as I listened silently, terrified and confused. "The fruit you ate was called the Sutā Sutā no Mi. It should have given you the abilities of a shooting star, so we will work on bringing out the powers that will best suit your future master, such as searching people's minds for their deepest secrets and desires, and granting wishes.

Oh, and you've probably noticed that you've become extremely week. That's due to the sea stone handcuffs that we used to chain you up. It'll keep you from needlessly using your powers while we train you to be obedient. It'll take a few weeks before we get to our next location, so we will begin your training tomorrow. Better get some good sleep, it'll be the last chance you get for a while." He told me, the smirk growing larger. With another chuckle he turned around and walked out, slamming the door to the cell behind him and leaving me alone in my chains, unable to do anything but grip the locket around my neck and cry for my brother.

* * *

**That's it for now! Thank you to all you beautiful readers out there who took the time to read this. If you enjoyed it, or even if you didn't, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews and let me know if this is even worth continuing ^^**

**Until next time! (^_^)/**


	2. Chapter One

**Hey everyone! Here I am with chapter one of Shooting Star!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed the prologue. I am truly glad you liked it, and I hope you will continue to follow and support me as I write the rest of this story. :)**

**Quick warning for you guys. This story will contain slight OOC moments, mainly for Luffy, so keep that in mind while your reading. I will do my best to portray the characters as well as I can, while still keeping to the theme of this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own One Piece or its characters. I highly respect Oda-sensei, so I will never claim that I do own them. The only things I will claim ownership of though, are my OCs and the storyline/writing in this fanfic.**

**This story contains extreme spoilers to the original story line.**

**It takes place after the Dressrosa arc in the manga/anime, so if you aren't caught up, I wouldn't suggest reading this. ****It will become a bit AU though, since I can't predict the direction the actual story will go in, but I hope you will still enjoy it despite the differences.**

**Also, this chapter begins with a scene from the manga. The dialogue at the very beginning is almost completely referenced from the original story, so keep that in mind when reading. My original writing begins in the second section, after the dream scene.**

**Enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Luffy's P.O.V**_

"A-Ace..." I cried out as my brother collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood as the fist of magma was extracted from his stomach. Shocked, I quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, steadying him before placing my hand around his back and pressing it against the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry... Luffy..." Ace gasped out, slowly losing the energy to even speak.

"Ace! We've got to hurry and treat your—"

"I'm sorry... That I couldn't let you save me properly... Forgive me...!"

"What are you talking about?! Don't say stupid things like that! Somebody, treat his wounds! Somebody, save Ace!" I glanced around, desperately searching for someone who could help my brother. My brother, who had been there ever since I went to live with Dadan. Had been there for me when Sabo died, and had been there when I met him again in Alabasta. He'd been there as long as I could remember, always supporting me, protecting me. And now, when he's once again protected me, I can't even protect him in return.

"No... It's no good. I can tell when my end has come... He's burned up my insides... I'm not coming back from this... So... Luffy... Listen up...!" He managed to say.

"What are you talking about? Ace... Are you going to die? No... You promised!" I exclaimed, gripping tightly onto his shaking frame, trying to will him to be ok. "You told me, didn't you? You promised you wouldn't die!"

"Yeah... you know... if it hadn't been for Sabo... and having a little brother like you to look out for... I wouldn't have even wanted to live... Nobody else wanted me to... so it's only natural..." He gasped out, struggling to stay awake long enough to say what he needed to say. "Oh yeah... if you happen to run across Dadan, could you tell her goodbye for me? It's weird... now that I'm about to die... I even feel like I miss that idiot... Hah... I just have one regret... that I won't be able to see... your dream come to pass... but I know you... you'll pull it off for sure... you're my brother after all...! Just like we promised back then... I have no regrets about how I lived my life..."

"No... Your lying!" I shook my head, gripping Ace tighter, denying the idea that this was really happening. _It can't be. Ace had promised he wouldn't die and leave me alone. So why was he saying this?_

"No, it's true... It looks like what I really wanted after all... wasn't fame or renown... but an answer to the question... of whether I should have... been born..." He coughed, blood leaking from his mouth, before starting again, "Oyaji! Everyone! And... Luffy... Even though I've been good for nothing my whole life... even though I carry the blood of a demon within me... you guys still loved me... Thank you so much!" He gasped, forcing those words past his lips, a smile slowly spreading across his face before he slipped out of my grip, collapsing to the ground, as he released one final, shuddering breath.

"Ace...?" I asked, unbelieving. _No. He can't be dead, he just can't. This can't be happening... _I thought, still in shock, before finally realizing the truth and letting out a long, loud wail. "Ahh... AAAHHHHH! AAAACCEEEE!"

* * *

I jolted upwards, panting, as I took in my surroundings, quickly noting the wooden cots on either side of me, and the sleeping figures resting inside them. The boys room of the Thousand Sunny. Letting out a long sigh I rubbed my tired eyes and slipped silently out of my cot, slowly making my way out to the main deck of the Sunny. I walked over to the railing and stared out at the dark sky in thought. I'd been having the same nightmare ever since that fateful day at Marineford two years ago. I wasn't sure what caused them to happen every night, but didn't want to worry the others with it so I've been keeping it to myself. Each night after waking from the dream, I'd find my way out to the deck to get some fresh air, finding comfort in the starry night sky over the ocean.

As I stared out at the stars, I noticed one that was brighter than the others, shooting across the sky, slowly disappearing into the distance just as a memory overtook me.

_"Oi! Ace, Sabo, look! It's a shooting star!" My seven-year-old self-exclaimed excitedly, glancing out the window of our hideout as a bright light shot across the sky._

_"That's right Luffy. You know you can make a wish on that right?" Sabo stated, glancing over at me from his spot on the floor where he was currently playing cards with Ace._

_"What? Seriously? Cool!" I exclaimed, amazed, as I glanced back out the window in time to see another star shoot across the sky. "Quick, guys! Let's make a wish!"_

_"Huh? Why? Don't give him the wrong idea Sabo. That's just a myth." Ace stated bluntly before turning his attention back to the game._

_"Aw, seriously?" I said with disappointment as I glanced back out at the sky._

_"Oh come on Ace, what can it hurt, it might be fun!" Sabo said as he walked over to stand beside me._

_"Oh alright, fine, but don't expect it to come true!" Ace insisted before joining us at the window._

_"Yay!" I shouted, excitement once again filling me as I searched for another shooting star. Seeing one, I pointed it out to the others and quickly shouted as loud as I could. "I WANT TO BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"_

_"Luffy, you idiot! Be a little quieter!" Ace scolded, punching me in the head causing a large bump to appear._

_"Shishishishi! Sorry!" I laughed with a big grin spreading across my face. "Ace, you make your wish next!"_

_Ace scowled at my usual antics as Sabo laughed quietly beside us, before stating his own wish. "Fine, I wish to be free of the name of Roger, living my own life as a pirate on the seas."_

_I laughed again, grinning at Ace as I told him, "Silly Ace! You're not Roger!"_

_Ace glanced at me, first shocked, and then with another scowl covering his face. "Stupid..." He murmured before his face started to relax, breaking into a grin as he too began to laugh, Sabo soon following suit._

_I stared at the two of them confused. "What's so funny?" I asked, pouting, as I waited for them to calm down._

_"Sorry Luffy, it's nothing." Ace said as his chuckles died down. I looked at him and Sabo for a moment longer before a big grin spread itself once again across my face._

_"Shishishi! Sabo, it's your turn! Make a wish!" I stated, once again excited._

_"Haha ok Luffy." He told me as he glanced out at the sky, soon spotting a shooting star of his own. "I wish that we'll be brothers forever." He announced with a small grin on his face._

_I looked over at him, once again confused. "That's not much of a wish! We already are brothers! Brothers forever! Why would that change?"_

_Him and Ace both looked at me with shocked looks once again plastered across each of their faces before bursting into another fit of laughter. Staring back at them confused, I shrugged and joined in, laughing along with them as we all collapsed on the ground, staring up at the sky in happiness._

I chuckled to myself as the memory dissipated, smiling as I continued staring out at the sky. After a moment of silence, I heard a soft set of footsteps trod their way across the deck to stand by my side.

"What're you thinking about?" A familiar voice asked curiously from beside me. I glanced up and saw Sabo standing there. After defeating Doflamingo in Dressrosa, Sabo had agreed to travel with us for a while and has been with us for a week now. I still find it hard to believe that he's alive. I never imagined I'd see him again, let alone have him traveling with my crew and me one day. Looking at him standing here beside me now, I felt a large grin take over my face.

"Shishishi I'm just thinking back to the time when you, Ace, and I made those wishes on the shooting stars." I told him with a wide grin. He looked at me for a moment and started chuckling himself.

"Those were good times." He stated fondly while also glancing out at the sky. "Why don't we make another wish right now?" He suggested as he pointed out another shooting star.

With a chuckle I quickly agreed. "Ok, you go first!" I smiled over at him, waiting.

"Alright. I wish that we could live happy lives with no regret from now on, achieving our dreams, just as Ace would've wanted us to do."

"Hehe that's a good wish. It'll definitely come true." I grinned at him.

"Your turn Luffy."

"Hmm... I wish that we could be brothers forever!" I said with a chuckle as he looked at me shocked.

"That's not much of a wish, now is it?" He asked me with a humorous glint in his eye.

"Shishishi. I guess not... But promise alright? That we'll be brothers forever?"

"Haha I promise Luffy. Nothing will change that." He replied softly, before turning back towards the direction of the boy's room, calling over his shoulder with a wave as he walked away. "I'm gonna head back to bed. You should get some more sleep too. See you tomorrow!"

I grinned back at him, agreeing that I'd be there soon, before turning back towards the sea and the occasional shooting stars up in the sky. "Ace, I wish you could've found the answer you were looking for. I wish you were still alive today and that you realized that it didn't matter who your father was. You weren't good for nothing and it was a very good thing that you had been born. I never would've been able to get through life in one piece without you to be there for me. I promise Ace, I will continue to do my best and live life with no regrets, just as you wanted. I won't let you down. I _will_ become the King of the Pirates!"

* * *

_**Asalie's P.O.V**_

"I see. Good. That's enough for today. Take it back to its cell. We'll be arriving at the island tomorrow afternoon. We'll want it in working order in time for the auction tomorrow night. If all goes well, it should end up getting us a pretty penny from one of the Celestial Dragons on the island." I heard the master exclaim, gaining a laugh from his cronies scattered round the room as they talked about my fate as if I were an object. They treated me this way so often, even I was starting to think that I was useless. Useless for anything but gaining money and fame for the ones who owned me, my powers not even being strong enough to help myself.

I thought back to how I'd gotten here in the first place. After I'd been kidnapped, Gael and Arsen had tortured and drugged me into submission as they trained me to use my new abilities. I quickly realized that while I was able to use my powers to grant other people's wishes, it had no effect when used on my own desires.

After a few weeks of the torture they called training, they deemed me ready for auction, throwing me in a cage as they set up at the auction house on the island we'd recently arrived at. I'd then been _purchased _by a scary looking scientist who was looking for test subjects, and had been tortured and experimented on for months on end, before he deemed me useless and decided to auction me off, this time to a royal who was looking for a slave for his young son. This cycle repeated itself for many years as I went from master to master, losing more hope with each one.

Originally I'd kept up hope that Gael had been lying and my brother was still alive. I'd pictured him in my mind every day, bursting through the doors to save me, but after years of being tortured I soon gave up on that idea. The only thing that kept me going now was the hope that one day, as I secretly researched and honed my other abilities, I'd be able to escape this endless cycle.

Now, on my 17th birthday, I was once again being prepared for auction, this time with the aim to sell me to a Celestial Dragon on an island deep in the Grand Line. This wasn't new to me though, as I'd been sold so often that I'd already encountered a few of them. I'd just about come to accept the fact that this would be my fate, as the last shred of hope I carried was strung thinner and thinner with each passing day.

After they'd returned me to my cell I plopped down on the rough cot placed in the otherwise bare room that was closed in on each side by sea stone and let out a long sigh as I grabbed hold of my locket. It was the only thing I had left from my previous life, and I always made sure to keep it hidden under the neck of my dress, so that it wouldn't be taken away.

I rolled over on my cot, facing towards the barred window on the wall beside me. It was a clear night, and I found myself gazing out at the bright stars fondly. Growing up I'd always found comfort in those stars, as they were always there for me, the only things I could count on to calm me after a long day of torture. I'd often pictured myself up there beside them, free, as I looked down over the world in happiness, giving support to others like me who had no one else to count on.

With another sigh I flipped over onto my stomach, resting my head on the back of my hands, exhausted, and attempted to block out the many voices filtering through my mind. Due to my Devil Fruit power, I often found myself hearing the wishes of people from nearby islands. Fortunately, the range was limited so it wasn't too difficult to handle, but due to my exhaustion, and the proximity to the island we were currently heading towards, I found more voices than usual sounding in my ears.

I filtered through each individual voice, pushing their mainly greedy wishes out of my mind, when one voice in particular seemed to scream at me to stop and listen. I sat up, jumping out of bed to stand by the window as I pondered this wish. I could instantly tell the voice was different from the others, sounding much louder and more desperate as well as being surprisingly unselfish.

Pausing I listened in, hearing the saddened voice of a young boy. _Ace, I wish you could've found the answer you were looking for. I wish you were still alive today and that you realized that it didn't matter who your father was. You weren't good for nothing and it was a very good thing that you had been born. I never would've been able to get through life in one piece without you to be there for me. I promise Ace, I will continue to do my best and live life with no regrets, just as you wanted. I won't let you down. I _will_ become the King of the Pirates!_

Instantly I felt bad for the young boy, while at the same time found myself respecting him. He had obviously been through hard times, losing someone close to him just as I had, but somehow he still managed to find a reason to move forward. Before I realized what I was doing, a blinding white light surrounded my body, filling up the small cell as I found myself inexplicably granting his wish, sending all my thoughts and concentration out to this "Ace" and the boy whose thoughts I'd heard. As soon as the light dissipated, I was left with nothing but silence and darkness in its place, as I found myself collapsing back onto the cold floor and slipping into oblivion.

* * *

"Oi... Oi... Miss!" I twitched slightly as I heard an unfamiliar voice. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I found myself staring into two green orbs in the center of a freckled face that was staring right back at me with confusion and slight worry. Startled I jumped up to a standing position, scooting backwards until my back hit the wall behind me.

"W-who are you?" I demanded before suddenly feeling dizzy, tipping sideways as the floor jolted towards me. Right before I hit the ground though, two warm hands grabbed a hold of me, pulling me back to my feet. As soon as both my feet were once again firmly planted on the ground I yanked away, scooting back again as I stared at the outstretched hands in front of me. "Answer me! How did you get in here?"

"Ah sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was hoping you could tell me that. I just woke up and found myself here, with you passed out on the ground there..." The boy explained softly, plopping down into a sitting position on the floor before adding on as if as an afterthought, "Oh, I'm Ace by the way."

* * *

**That's it for chapter one! Thanks again to all you beautiful readers out there who took the time to read, follow, favorite and review. I love to hear your thoughts, so if you enjoy this story, please continue to support me, and let me know if this is even worth continuing ^^**

**Until next time! (^_^)/**


	3. Chapter Two

**Hey everyone! So so sorry for the super late update. Life has been pretty hectic lately as I've gotten a job since my last update, and have been pretty busy with that. I know its no excuse, but I hope you'll forgive me and that you'll still stick with this story.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed the last few chapters. I am truly glad you liked it, and I hope you will continue to follow and support me as I write the rest of this story. :)**

**Quick warning for you guys. This story will contain slight OOC moments, mainly for Luffy, so keep that in mind while your reading. I will do my best to portray the characters as well as I can, while still keeping to the theme of this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own One Piece or its characters. I highly respect Oda-sensei, so I will never claim that I do own them. The only things I will claim ownership of though, are my OCs and the storyline/writing in this fanfic.**

**This story contains extreme spoilers to the original story line.**

**It takes place after the Dressrosa arc in the manga/anime, so if you aren't caught up, I wouldn't suggest reading this. ****It will become a bit AU though, since I can't predict the direction the actual story will go in, but I hope you will still enjoy it despite the differences.**

**This chapter also begins with another scene from the manga. The dialogue at the very beginning is almost completely referenced from the original story, so keep that in mind when reading. My original writing begins in the second section.**

**There will also be some repetition at times, but this will just be until the story really gets going, so please bare with me.**

**Enjoy ^^**

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_**Ace's P.O.V.**_

"Gold Roger; the King of the Pirates, Dragon - the revolutionary. I was amazed to hear that the sons of those two are step brothers." The thick voice of Admiral Akainu barely entered my line of thought as I lay crouched on the ground, seething at the words he'd spoken earlier. The insults he'd thrown towards Oyaji. My mind was filled with thoughts of hatred towards the man before me as he continued his speech. "You two have bad blood in your veins. I don't care if the others get away as long as I get you two! Watch what I do." He finished, pausing in his speech as I glanced up to see him glaring towards Luffy.

_No._

"Wait!" I shouted, panicked, as I realized what he was about to do. Glancing back, I saw Luffy kneeling on the ground, reaching towards my Vivra card which lay inches from his fingers, unaware of what was going on a few feet away. "Luffy!" I shouted, trying to get my brother's attention, just as Akainu lunged, speeding through the air with his lava coated fist raised behind him. Aiming straight for my brother.

_No! _

Before I could process anything beyond that, I found myself leaping to my feet, rushing to my brother's side and sliding directly in front of him with arms outstretched, just as Akainu's fist slammed through my back. _I won't let him touch Luffy! _I thought as I gritted my teeth, maintaining my stance as I looked down at Luffy to make sure he was ok.

"A-Ace..." Luffy cried out, shocked eyes staring up at me. Coughing, I collapsed to my knees, pain radiating throughout my body as Akainu slowly removed his fist. A warm feeling spread across my arm, and I realized Luffy had grabbed a hold of it to steady me before placing his other hand around my back and pressing it against my wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry... Luffy..." I gasped out, slowly feeling myself lose the energy to speak.

"Ace! We've got to hurry and treat your—"

"I'm sorry... That I couldn't let you save me properly... Forgive me...!" I begged, looking down towards my brother's frightened eyes.

"What are you talking about?! Don't say stupid things like that! Somebody, treat his wounds! Somebody, save Ace!" Luffy shouted, looking around frantically at all the other shocked faces around him.

"No... It's no good. I can tell when my end has come... He's burned up my insides... I'm not coming back from this... So... Luffy... Listen up...!" I managed to say, gaining back my brother's attention. He needed to hear this.

"What are you talking about? Ace... Are you going to die? No... You promised! You told me, didn't you? You promised you wouldn't die!"

"Yeah... you know... if it hadn't been for Sabo... and having a little brother like you to look out for... I wouldn't have even wanted to live... Nobody else wanted me to... so it's only natural..." I gasped out, struggling to keep my eyes open and remain conscious long enough to get my message across. "Oh yeah... if you happen to run across Dadan, could you tell her goodbye for me? It's weird... now that I'm about to die... I even feel like I miss that idiot... Hah... I just have one regret... that I won't be able to see... your dream come to pass... but I know you... you'll pull it off for sure... you're my brother after all...! Just like we promised back then... I have no regrets about how I lived my life..."

"No... Your lying!" Luffy shouted, tightening his grip on me desperately.

"No, it's true... It looks like what I really wanted after all... wasn't fame or renown... but an answer to the question... of whether I should have... been born..." I paused to cough, blood leaking from my mouth, before I continued, "Oyaji! Everyone! And... Luffy... Even though I've been good for nothing my whole life... even though I carry the blood of a demon within me... you guys still loved me... Thank you so much!" I gasped, forcing those last few words past my lips, a smile slowly spreading across my face before I slipped out of Luffy's grip, collapsing to the ground, as everything around me went dark.

* * *

The darkness surrounding me slowly faded, shifting into a dull light behind my lids that prompted me to open my eyes. _Wait… why can I open my eyes…? _

Confused, I slowly stood up and looked around, taking in my surroundings. _I'm in a cell_. I thought as I noticed the familiar thick walls encasing the small room with a single bed in the corner next to a tiny barred window. Continuing my inspection of the room, my eyes landed on the thin figure of a young girl laying a few feet away at the base of the bed.

I struggled to make sense of my surroundings, thinking back to my most recent memories. _I died, didn't I? Or was that possibly just a dream? It seemed so real... _I mused silently, still looking around the small room._ Am I still locked up in Impel Down? But then, who is this? _I slowly approached the girl, staring down at her immobile form. She was dressed in a thin grey dress that was worn and dirtied as if she hadn't changed clothes in a long time. Which, considering their location, wouldn't exactly surprise him. _How long has she been here? _I wondered. Then, _how long have I been here? _

"Oi... Oi... Miss!" I called out to her, hoping to rouse her from her position on the ground. Twitching, she slowly opened her eyes, looking up at me with foggy blue eyes. She stared at me silently for a moment before the fact that a stranger was staring back at her seemed to register in her mind. Startled she jumped up to a standing position, scooting backwards until she was backed up against the furthest wall.

"W-who are you?" She demanded before swaying suddenly, tipping back towards the hard floor. Jumping forward, I grabbed hold of her before she could hit the ground and pulled her back to her feet. As soon as she was standing though, she yanked away, scooting back again as I was left with my hands outstretched in front of me. "Answer me! How did you get in here?"

"Ah sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was hoping you could tell me that actually. I just woke up and found myself here, with you passed out on the ground there..." I explained, plopping down into a sitting position on the floor before continuing, "Oh, I'm Ace by the way."

"A-Ace…?" She asked, confusion and shock written clearly across her face.

I nodded in response before speaking up again. "Yup. Am I still in Impel Down?"

"I-Impel Down?" She stammered, eyes widening in recognition of the title for the maximum-security prison.

Again I nodded, watching her curiously as she started shaking in fear.

"But… then… you're a criminal!" She stated, trying in vain to hide her fear.

"Sure, I guess you could say that…" I began, then realized, "oh, but don't worry. I won't hurt you!" I assured, grinning up at her in an attempt to calm her down. She glared back at me with distrust written clearly across her face, but then seemed to remember something as she began to calm down slightly. "You going to answer my question or are you just going to stand there?" I asked grinning easily.

She shook her head slowly, seemingly still unsure of what to think of me.

_So, I'm not in Impel Down. _"Where are we then?"

"… On a… merchants ship. Headed towards Surēbu Island…"

"Any idea how I might've ended up here?" I asked, deciding to ignore the way she hesitated with her answer.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to re-think it and instead shook her head quickly, lips pursed.

Suspicious, I opened my mouth to ask another question when footsteps sounded from a short distance away. The girl's eyes widened further as she looked between me and the direction of the sound. "Shh!" she whispered frantically, glancing around the room and motioning for me to hide. Ignoring her, I stood up and walked towards the door to the cell, squinting in an attempt to see who was approaching, the halls too dark to see anything. Eventually a dark shadow appeared in the distance, slowly coming into view, revealing a short, stubby man with a dark scowl on his face and an eyepatch covering one eye. He walked right up to the door and stopped directly in front of Ace, glaring through the bars at the young girl behind him with anger plastered across his face.

"Shut up you stupid girl! What are you doing, making so much racket this late at night?! Who are you talking to anyways? Your all alone down here! Did you finally lose it or something? You better get your wits back and stop this crazy act or I won't be able to get a good price for you, you hear me?!" He shouted with a huff before turning back around and storming off, not caring to wait for a response from the girl.

* * *

**No**_** P.O.V.**_

Far away, on an island in the middle of the West Blue, a young man could be seen boarding a Marine ship, gripping his hat to his chest with a slight grin and eyes brimming with determination. Placing his hat back on his head, he approached the commanding officer of the ship and saluted, introducing himself with an unwavering voice.

"Ah, you must be the new recruit. You were recently promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer if I'm correct..." The commanding officer stated, glancing the man over briefly as he looked over the papers in his hands that were detailing him on the background and history of the recruit standing before him.

According to the papers, the man was an orphan who grew up in the East Blue where at the young age of seventeen he had enlisted to become a Marine. He'd been residing as an apprentice at a local Marine base that was renowned for its difficult training procedures. It took him seven long years of hard work before finally being promoted, upon which he was transferred to the ship he was currently standing on.

Looking back up from his papers, the officer began to inform the recruit on the duties he'd be expected to perform as well as the current mission they were on. When he was sure that he'd covered everything he briefly glanced around the deck before calling over a nearby Marine. "Aster here will show you around the ship while I get your paperwork in order. I expect great work from you." He finished and walked off leaving the recruit to Aster.

"Hey there newbie! I'm Aster. Though I suppose you already knew that." The Marine exclaimed with a wide grin. "What's your name?"

"Jay" The recruit answered simply as the two began to walk away.

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**That's it for chapter two!**

**I know, I know, you all probably hate me right? Throwing in all of these cliffhangers and making you wait so long. I'm sorry ;u; I promise though, the next update wont be nearly as long of a wait!**

**Thanks again to all you beautiful readers out there who have stuck with me up till now and who have taken the time to read, follow, favorite and review. I love to hear your thoughts, so if you enjoy this story, please continue to support me, and let me know if this is even worth continuing ^^**

**Until next time! (^_^)/**


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